Rylan Belcher of Mountain View, Oklahoma is the 2022-23 recipient of the Mark Mouse Memorial Scholarship at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU).
Belcher is a graduate of Mountain View-Gotebo High School and will be a freshman at SWOSU in the fall. He plans to major in Education and pursue a minor in Kinesiology.
Belcher’s parents are both employed by Mountain View-Gotebo Public Schools. The Mark Mouse Memorial Scholarship was established by Sheila Mouse in memory of her late husband, Mark Mouse. The Mark Mouse Memorial Scholarship is awarded to an incoming freshman of financial need whose parent, grandparent, or legal guardian is presently employed or retired as an Oklahoma public school employee.
Mark Mouse began his career at SWOSU as the director of placement and high school/university relations in the summer of 1967, where he remained a loyal and devoted employee for 25 years, retiring in 1992. The thousands of SWOSU students he had recruited from high schools across the state knew him as “Mr. Southwestern.” He was also instrumental in placing many public-school teachers in their positions throughout the state.
SWOSU has locations in Weatherford, Yukon, and Sayre. The Mark Mouse Memorial Scholarship is stewarded by the SWOSU Foundation, Inc. The foundation was established in 1977 to promote philanthropy and distribute funds to support the activities and programs of SWOSU.
Located on the Weatherford campus in the historic Burton House, the foundation currently stewards more than $37 million in assets for the benefit of SWOSU. For more information, contact the SWOSU Foundation at (580) 774-3267 or visit www.SWOSUFoundation.com.